Vancouver BC

Vancouver BC - Page Text Content

S: Vancouver, BC June 2011

BC: View from Stanley Park with Mt Baker in the background.

FC: South side of downtown Vancouver seen from Granville Island. Condos everywhere.

1: Vancouver, BC June 2011 | This condo was designed by the same architect who did the leaning tower of Pisa. Or, maybe Suzanne was tilting. The high rise is right across from our hotel balcony. Plenty of urban fauna.

2: Becky drove us to the station in Everett. Then we rode the Amtrak t Vancouver. Sumbitches wouldn't allow me to smoke on the train. Great creaking ride, though. While on the train we went through some interesting places. In one area just north of the U.S. border, we saw lots and lots (for future generations, that means "a bunch") of bald eagles. The photo is the Granville Street bridge. A water taxi is in the foreground. We were on Granville Island when this photo was taken.

4: The geezer riding the water taxi to Granville Island. Don't tell Herself this, but I struck up a conversation with the twenty-ish college girl driving the grand vessel. (It'd seat about six people.) A fleet of water taxis ply back and forth between downtown Vancouver and Granville Island. One-way fare was $7.50 Canadian. The driver, of course, expects a tip. After an enthralling conversation with the hottie, I told her she'd be in my will. Suzanne overheard me. She smiled. Looked at Hottie, and said, "You'll be far better off if you get him to leave you a tip now. The old fool might live forever." Hottie sighed. "Sir, I guess I'd rather have cash now." Women are so fickle! That's why I look a tidge grumpy.

5: Main entrance to the huge farmer's market on Granville Island. There's a problem with Granville Island. It's not an island. I wonder if Canadians receive proper education regarding geography and terms for things like peninsulas. Don't think for a moment I'm knocking Canadians. Becky and Tasha are at least as challenged. Both lovely, educated daughters are pretty much clueless where anything east of Seattle is.

6: Condos near our hotel.

7: Uh, not to put too strong a point on it, but Vancouver, B.C. has been named "Condo Capital of the World." This prestigious award was presented by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce. Suzanne and I estimated the average age of the residents of the condos as under thirty. When we walked the streets, there were two age groups. Throngs under thirty. And us. Like Seattle, Vancouver has lots of people on the streets. That would be pretty much unlike Detroit.

8: Entrance to Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden in the Chinese district. I forget the details, but it was built in the early part of the 20th century, I think. It was way cool and a soothing place to hang out.

9: This photo doesn't do justice. This is a close-up of the stone flooring in one of the courtyards. Each of those was laid by hand. I'm glad it wasn't my hand. | I have no idea what the photo to the left is. Gonna go out on a limb and guess it's a tree. Photo to the right is a pagoda. It's likely that's where teens go at night to make out. If they don't, they damn sure should!

10: This another shot of the pagoda. You already have guessed what the tall buildings in the background are. The rocks and stone pathways are breathtaking, although it's not apparent in this photo.

11: There's the curmudgeon. Bereft. The water girl wanted cash instead of something in the future. Herself has abandoned me. I sit on a bench in the Sun Yat Sen Garden. Left with nothing but a plastic bag. Oh well, perhaps there's something to eat in it!

12: Flowers in Stanley Park. Doesn't hold a candle to Butchart Garden in Victoria B.C. That said, Stanley Park has to be one of the great urban parks in the world. Downside is one scoop of ice cream cost just under $5 U.S. Wasn't even good ice cream. My guess is Canadians have as much trouble with ice cream as they do with what constitutes an island.

13: Glorious Sugarbean at Stanley Park. This photo was taken from too far away. Her eyes and smile light up the heavens. So does her heart. There was a raccoon terrorizing we tourists. It was right behind the bench. Sugarbean isn't afraid of anything. Well, okay, spiders. The shot of me is me staring the raccoon into submission. It's also my attempt to appear enigmatic. Hey, it was worth a shot.

14: Below is the raccoon. His name is Randolph. Don't ask me why. I thought he'd be fine as The Masked Bandit. What do I know? | This is Glorious Sugarbean at an overlook in Stanley Park. North Van is is the background. The raccoon is now right behind me. I'm not afraid of wildlife. Just women.

15: Telephoto shot of North Van from the overlook. This is shot in the other direction form the one on the previous page. Mount Baker, Washington is in the background. | This is a zoom shot of the North Van photo on the previous page. It's quiz time. Can you guess what those buildings are? If not, you haven't been paying attention. That would make me grumpy.

16: My absolute favorite part of the view from our hotel. About fifty yards from our balcony, another condo was being erected. A guy climbed all the way up to the cab. Spent all day there. I wish I could have gotten up there with him. (For any of the lovely women in my life, it's a guy thing.) Where did he pee? On the guys down below? In a can? I need to know these things.

17: You, dear reader, may think Sugarbean and I have exaggerated about the condos in Vancouver...Trust us. The park to the right is where people go after work to partake in various exercises. It was interesting to watch. Note the bicycle on the patio of the condo in the lower photo. Odds are good none of these kids can afford a car.

18: We were in town for the first couple games of the Stanley Cup. Didn't know that until we took a cab from the train station to our hotel. The cab went right past the venue for the hockey game. Crowds everywhere. These photos were shot after the game from our hotel balcony. The Canucks cruised to a win. The streets below our hotel were thronged with people celebrating. Everyone was happy and calm. It was after we left town that the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup, and people rioted. The shot to the right is a Canuck fan waving from the condo balcony across from us.

20: We had a grand time. Walked a lot. Rode the hop-on-hop-off bus for two days. That's a great way to see a city. It's fabulous to travel with Glorious Sugarbean. Every time we get in trouble, well, every time I get us in trouble on our road trips, her brain, smile and eyes, get us out quickety-slick.